Of Cafe Poll and Summer Festivals
by Aeneid
Summary: When Kamui gets told by Kagura that he isn't welcome anymore to join festivals, he takes matters into his own hands by forcing a certain Edo princess to keep him company the whole night on his second Edo festival. Shameless KamuSoyo (primary pairing) and OkiKagu (secondary pairing). Rated M for language and implied content. Spoilers up until the Farewell, Shinsengumi Arc.


It's been a while since I wrote an okikagu fic, but that pairing isn't the main focus of this fic. I really got into Kamui x Soyo (KamuSoyo), and it doesn't help that the Japanese fans had also gotten into it as well recently. Twitter is suddenly getting filled with fanart for that pairing, and as the Japanese say, "THE DOOR [TO KAMUSOYO] HAS BEEN OPENED!"

As for the title, I will explain it in the notes, right after the end of the fic. It's a rather long story.

Special thanks to anneemay and aozul of Tumblr for their help.

Spoilers up until the Farewell, Shinsengumi Arc.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama. It belongs to Sorachi Hideaki.

* * *

 **Of Cafe Poll and Summer Festivals**

* * *

Just when he was looking forward to another summer festival, everyone had abandoned him.

Not that it was supposed to be a dramatic thing, but he could not help but get frustrated at the thought of everyone declining to accompany him _all because he ruined the fun_.

When he asked why, his idiot of a sister pointed out to him that the last time he joined in, the Yorozuya had been forced to rebuild several food stalls that he had destroyed when they attended a festival at a neighboring town while off he went back to space. Why he had destroyed those food stalls, it was because one of the stalls ran out of _takoyaki_. Despite the apologies from the stall owner about running out of food, off he went destroy things both because of the heat and because he was hungry. Being _hangry_ was _not_ the best way to spend a summer festival, but was it his fault if the heat on Earth was something he couldn't stand and he was also hungry to boot?

The idiot then proceeded to tell him that he was being unreasonable and that no one will ever go with him because he ruins the fun, which is why he found himself in one festival that his sibling told him about (the one where he was invited to go out to, though the invitation had been revoked), _alone_. He had switched to a _jinbei_ this time around, as the _yukata_ he wore last time had gotten so battered that it had to be thrown away. Honestly, he didn't care, as the clothing restricted his movement way too much (walking became very annoying, because he got slower), and everything was breezier and cooler with a _jinbei_ on. Add to that, he didn't have any problems walking, though the clogged footwear he wore were a pain. Other than that, everything was fine.

… But he was alone, and much to his irritation, it looked like _everyone_ in the festival had someone with them. Even a damn dog had his owners to enjoy the festival with!

He was used to being alone, but then, if rabbits can die from loneliness, what more a Yato? There was strength in numbers, after all.

An occasional interaction with other beings was recommended as well.

An idea hit him; the policeman, who he suspected was half in love with his sister (why would anyone even like her _that way_?), had said that summer was the time for romance (why summer, of all times?), which is why it was common for men to pick up women [1]. As someone like him who had never had any prior experience with romance (who the hell had time for that anyway, when you could have battlefields to enjoy instead?), he asked out loud if 'picking up' meant 'kidnapping', which made everyone howl at his, to quote the idiot, "cluelessness that bordered to stupidity".

 _"It means being friendly towards women in the hopes that she'll go along with you_ _on a date." The policeman stated after he was done laughing along with the rest._

 _"How do I pick up girls though? I just talk?" he asked._

 _"Of course. Best thing to do is have an opening one-liner that would make them think that you're really interested in them."_

 _"Oh."_

And with that, he was determined to try and pick up girls, if only to see how this would go.

… Not that he was desperate to have someone with him tonight, mind you.

Surveying the area around him, he turned around to see if there were any girls who looked like they were free or looked like they were not having fun (he didn't mind fighting the guy the girl was hanging out with; more entertainment for him), but with everyone smiling around him, at the back of his mind, he wondered if there was actually anyone out there whom he could 'pick-up'.

Several minutes later, he found one.

Specifically, a girl wearing one of those summer clothing, a teal-colored _yukata_ to be exact, with bright pink and white-colored peony patterns adorning the clothing. With her hair pinned up behind her head, she looked like she was alone, as she stood nearby a shooting gallery stall, fanning herself, and didn't look like she was waiting for anyone. She looked so lost in thought that he wondered vaguely if this was the opportunity that has been given to him. Wasting no time, he walked as fast as he could towards her direction and, from behind her, asked,

 _"I'm very hungry. Why don't we go together and get some food?"_

He saw her jump up in surprise and looked back at him…

… only to feel his eyes widen at the sight of the girl he tried to pick up.

 _Shit._

The girl he was trying to pick up… was the very girl whom he knew hated his guts.

Tokugawa Soyo, the former Shogun's sister, his weakling of a sister's best friend…

The only female he knew who could run like an athlete while wearing those heavy _kimono_ robes as she was being chased by rogue swordsmen who were determined to kill her.

The female he tried to kill years back when she was being guarded by that policeman when all those swordsmen had failed to kill her.

The female who ignored him whenever he was in Edo, as he knew that she had never forgiven him for what he had done, even if most of the people he had a brush-in with had reluctantly accepted him, only because his sister and him had an uneasy truce between them.

 _Why the fuck did I push through with this?_

* * *

 _"I'm very hungry. Why don't we go together and get some food?"_

It was not the first instance someone had tried to pick her up, but more often than not, when it happened, she would polite decline the person by shaking her head and telling him that she was not interested. If the person became persistent, she would say 'no'… then go on a sadist streak by making sure the guy was totally sorry by stomping on his foot with her clogs over and over again.

When she turned around to see who it was who tried to pick her up, well…

She nearly faltered when she realized that the guy happened to be her best friend's older brother whom she really wasn't comfortable with. Try as she might, it was probably impossible for her to be on normal terms with the very guy who tried to kill her. It was hard not think of him as someone other than a murderer; not to mention, he looked so sly and cunning whenever he smiled. His smiles never failed to send goosebumps up her arms.

Instead of letting him intimidate her, she forced a smile on her face and hoped that she would sound pleasant. "Kamui-san." She bowed automatically, reverting to her 'demure princess' façade. "You're… here."

 _'I wasn't expecting you to be here…'_ The only reason why she went along with her best friend and her bodyguard for tonight's festival was because Kagura casually mentioned that her older brother wouldn't be going, yet there he was, clad in a sapphire-blue _jinbei_ that brought out the color in his eyes, still looking at her in shock. She would've laughed at him, but the tension she was feeling right now was preventing her from doing so.

No matter what happened, he was still a murderer, and he could still kill her on the spot if he wanted to.

He recovered after a few minutes and shrugged in response. "I was supposed to be tagging along with my sister, but she said I wasn't invited anymore."

"Not surprising; you robbed people of their livelihoods by destroying their stalls." Soyo said before she could stop herself. Upon realizing what she said out loud, she muttered out an insincere apology ("My bad." were her exact words.), causing him to laugh out loud, surprising her.

To be honest, she thought he was going to hurt her for a rather callous remark, or say something to insult her.

"Blunt and straight to the point. I like that."

She wished he didn't; if she had to be honest, it was easier if he just ignored her as well, or at the very least, kept their interactions to a minimal.

They didn't need to be friends, nor did she want to be chummy with him. Even if her best friend happened to be his younger sister, it wasn't necessary for them to get along. A 'hi' and 'goodbye' should suffice before they go back to their merry way without the need to mingle.

Besides, Kagura had told her that he wasn't interested in weaklings, so why was he even prolonging the interaction between them?

"So what are you doing here on your own?" he asked her. "You're not with them?"

"I excused myself because it was getting too hot." The crowd overwhelmed her; not to mention, the belt of her _yukata_ was a bit too tight, which was why she went to a less crowded area of the festival grounds to get some fresh air. Just her luck, _he_ suddenly appeared and tried to pick her up.

Maybe if he wasn't this jerk that she had an aversion to, she would've gladly played along. It wasn't everyday that some Amanto tried to pick her up, or in her case, a decent-looking Yato who probably didn't want to be all alone during a summer festival.

"You didn't answer my question earlier, by the way."

 _Ugh, so persistent_. She decided to play dumb. "What do you mean?"

He rolled his eyes in response. "For a smart girl, you sure are acting dumb."

 _What the hell is wrong with this guy?!_

Just before she could tell him off, he added, "I asked if you want to get food together. You haven't given me your reply yet."

 _Why is he so persistent about this? And why does he keep on asking me?_

She would never know what went through his mind; the fact that he was asking her told her that either he had lost his mind and was settling for her, or he was _everything_ possible to torment her further. Either way, she would have to decline.

"… Maybe you should take the hint that I don't want to hang out with you, Kamui-san." She told him calmly, her hazel eyes looking straight into his azure ones. "And to answer your question, no, I don't want to eat together with you. Please leave me alone."

There, she finally said it.

Silence, until…

"… Is this what they call 'playing hard to get'?" he asked out loud, confusion evident in his eyes. Immediately, she felt herself panic upon hearing his response; just what the hell did he mean by that?! She didn't want to hang out with him, of all people. Was he going to insist that they spend time with oen another?!

"I—" before she could even tell him off for the last time, he took her hand and began leading her to the direction of the food stalls.

"Come on, let's hurry. I wanna eat a lot of _takoyaki_! And _yakisoba_ too!"

No matter how hard she tried to pull away, he had a rather strong grip on it, and did not even hesitate to intertwine his fingers with her own by holding her hand. As much as she wanted to scream for help, she was stuck between a rock and a hard place; she ordered to lay low and not attract too much attention at the festival (she was to be incognito the whole time), and there was also no plain-clothed Shinsengumi officer in sight who could help her. Her bodyguard was currently with her best friend, as she had set them up secretly by excusing herself to say that she needed fresh air… until _he_ picked her up and was currently dragging her to a _takoyaki_ stand.

To her surprise, once there, he had not let go of her hand, even when he had paid and had been handed his twenty-piece takoyaki by the stall owner. Carefully, he balanced the tray with one hand while he led her to the nearby benches so that they could sit, even going as far as to make sure that she would sit first. Once there, he handed her the tray, told her to stay put, and left, finally letting go of her hand. As much as she was tempted to throw away the _takoyaki_ just so she could piss him off, she couldn't do so; wasting food was a bad, _bad_ idea.

Add to that, her hand felt strangely empty.

She hastily pushed away the thought.

The male Yato returned some minutes later, carrying drinks, one in each hand. "I dunno if you drink beer, so I got you something else." He handed her a bottle of what she suspected to be a certain beverage that was popular during summer [2]. Wordlessly, she took the bottle, and as he sat beside her, he grabbed the tray and began helping himself. Soyo, on the other hand, unscrewed the bottle cap and began to drink.

"Want some?" he gestured at the plastic container, to which she shook her head. He shrugged in response and continued eating.

As she was contemplating on how best to escape him, he stood up, told her to hold on to his can of beer, and off he went again to the food stalls. Soyo didn't count the minutes, but just when she thought he stood her up, he came back, now carrying a tray that contained seven plates of _yakisoba_ and ten orders of twenty piece _takoyaki_ , all piled on top of one another. She was not surprised, as she knew that the Yato had hearty appetites, though it was unnerving to watch him eat without a care in the world. He would occasionally try and chat up with her, but she gave out one-liner responses to all of his questions. In the end, he stopped trying and just continued eating.

She _was_ hungry, but she refused to do anything more with _that guy_.

She refused to feel grateful towards him.

She refused to have anything to do with him.

"So why were you all alone earlier?"

 _Does this guy never stop?_ Irritation shot at her, but she refused to let him get to her. "… As I've said, it was hot, and I needed fresh air."

"Didn't seem like it to me." He told her as he swallowed the noodles of the first plate of his _yakisoba_. "You could've just fanned yourself while you walked around with _them_ —"

"Look, I don't know about _you_ , but air gets stale when you're part of the crowd, and I needed some time alone." She snapped, clearly irritated with his line of questioning.

Unfortunately, he still did not take the hint. "That doesn't answer my question." He replied calmly. "Your bodyguard wasn't with you when I saw you standing by yourself. Don't tell me you wanted to get picked up."

Soyo didn't know whether to punch him in the face for that comment or to just keep quiet and let him say whatever he wanted. In the end, she decided to finally explain the reason why, if only to make him shut up for good. The heat was making her short-tempered, her throat was parched, and she desperately wanted to get away from him. Taking a sip of her drink, she began her tale, if only to shut him up for good.

"Is it a bad thing for me to play matchmaker when it's pretty obvious that my best friend and my bodyguard have a thing for one another, but are denying it themselves?" before he could inject his opinion, she continued. "I left them for a while because I needed fresh air; I'm hoping that my gesture was enough to make them spend time with one another… though I'm concerned that they might use that time to argue with one another and destroy a stall or two."

"Ah. So it's true then." He took a sip from his can of beer. "My little sister feels something for that policeman."

She may have outwardly displayed a rather funny face, for he commented, "Don't give me that look; it's obvious enough that even I, _an air head_ , as he said, could see it."

"Never knew you were so updated with the latest gossip." She retorted sarcastically, which made him chuckle. Despite feeling dizzy, she could still make out the grin on his face. Surprisingly, the sight did not scare her; maybe it was because it was genuine?

It was really hard to figure him out.

"It's free entertainment." He told her. "Besides, it's amusing to see the weakling make her move on her target, who also seemed happy enough to reciprocate."

Trust him to make something romantic sound like it was a match; then again, her best friend's way of thinking was like that as well. It took _years_ for Kagura to realize that her palpitating heartbeat whenever Okita-san was around was because _she was feeling nervous around him_. Add to that, her feelings of wanting to show him that she was better than him was her _trying to impress him_. Privately, Soyo thought that the Yato's way of thinking was certainly unique compared to the Earthlings. For a warrior race, they really lacked the comprehension to understand romance.

"Really? 'Target'? Is that what they call it nowadays?" she couldn't help but ask.

"What _do_ you call it anyway?" he asked. "They're not dating, nor are they each other's mates. 'Target' is a better term, don't you think?"

"Whatever, get to the point." She retorted.

"Anyway, she and that guy were hanging out with one another one day when I visited. When I was about to drag away the guy away so that he could show me around town, she specifically told me and I quote, 'This guy's head is mine. I'm not handing him over to you.'" He shook his head. "Never knew the weakling had it in her to tell _me_ to stay away from her prey."

With that, Tokugawa Soyo did the most unladylike gesture possible: she spat out her drink.

"W-w-what?!" she spluttered, cheeks aflame as she wiped her nose and mouth with a handkerchief she had inside her drawstring pouch. She _definitely_ believed her best friend would say something so innocent yet dirty at the same time. Kagura-chan, at age twenty, was still so naïve that the words that came out of her mouth meant no malice; the problem was that people around her could misconstrue her innocent words into something perverted.

Case in point: her.

No matter how hard Soyo tried to think of another way to interpret the words, it sounded like her friend had a vicious, possessive hold on her bodyguard, and would most probably rip off anyone's head who would dare get the attention of her rival-slash-person-she-kinda-had-a-romantic-thing-for.

She would gladly hand over her bodyguard if the need arises; it was every person for themselves when it came to catching the attention of a Yato.

"Yeah." It seemed as if the guy didn't catch the sexual innuendo in whatever it was that his sister said. "I backed off just to see what she would do. She wasted no time with the attack, and I have to say, I applaud the weakling for that."

No wonder her best friend had been extra aggressive towards her bodyguard; she was staking her claim.

She made a mental note to discreetly slip away whenever possible just so they could spend some time together. Two birds with one stone; both of them would end up happy, and she would also be happy to get a bit of freedom away from her bodyguard's watchful eye.

But then, the way he told his tale… it irritated her, and she couldn't help but say her opinion out loud.

"Don't call my best friend a weakling; she's strong… maybe even stronger than you." The need to defend her best friend from a bullying older brother was something she was determined to do; not only that, but she felt bitter at the fact that her beloved brother had die while this one was very much alive and was acting so nasty towards his sister.

She would do _anything_ to have her gentle brother back if she could. Unfortunately, it was impossible to bring Tokugawa Shige Shige back to life.

"Tell that to the weakling who can't hold out on her own during a fight." He said snidely.

She grabbed the collar of his _jinbei_ , forcing him to look at her. "You're talking about my best friend here." She hissed. "Don't insult her in my presence, or I won't hesitate to tell you what a horrible person you are."

"Tell me something I wasn't aware of already, _princess_." He grabbed her wrist and forcefully removed it from his collar before proceeding to fix his top. "Everyone knows I've not the stellar example of what an older brother should be—"

"Thank you for confirming the whole 'I'm a horrible older brother' rumor." With that, she stood up immediately, and was about to walk away before glaring at him one last time. "I've nothing to say to you, other than you're the worst person I've had the most unfortunate chance to meet, and that you're undeserving of having Kagura-chan for a sister."

At the first step, she nearly faltered, but forced herself to press on as she wanted to be as far away from him as possible. She could hear him yell at her to go back as if she was some kind of pet, but she ignored both his yelling and the staring of the people; they were probably thinking that she and that guy were having a lovers' quarrel, which made her snort in response.

Who would ever want to get together with that kind of person anyway?

As she was nearing the various festival stalls, her vision was slowly getting blurry, while her heartbeat sped up. Even though she tried to walk as fast as she possibility could, she was getting slower in her movements. Soyo wasn't sure if it was because of the heat or because of the clothes she was wearing (the obi she wore had not been loosen), but she knew that she needed to find them… _and fast_.

She nearly screamed when she felt a hand grab her wrist, and when he spun her around roughly so that she could face him, Tokugawa Soyo's world spun madly. She vaguely heard him say something about him hating being ignored before she fainted dead away.

* * *

Just when he thought the night was going well for him, she just had to stand up and _walk away_.

It would have been a perfect night if he had more food to eat, but the money he was given was limited (Abuto, the penny-pinching old geezer, had only given him a certain amount to spend for the festival), and he had to pay for both his food and the brat's food. Thankfully, the brat decided to only have a drink, the one that he bought for her, while he got to have his _yakisoba_ , his _takoyaki_ , and a can of beer. Just so the air between them would lighten up, he attempted to start a conversation with her, but she kept stonewalling him by replying with one-liners. Irritated that he was exerting so much effort to be friendly while she resisted his attempts, he stuffed himself full with food.

Several minutes later, he found himself asking her another question, and this time around, it lead to a semblance of normal conversation between two people. Truth be told, Kamui wasn't expecting _anything_ more fromher, as he was aware that Tokugawa Soyo disliked him immensely. Surprisingly, he found himself enjoying the conversation with her.

"Ah. So it's true then." He found himself saying as he took a sip from his can of beer. "My little sister feels something for that policeman."

For some reason, the conversation headed for the direction of his sister and the policeman.

It wasn't surprising to hear that even she could see what was going on between the policeman and his own weakling of a sister. Whatever that guy he saw in her, he didn't know, but it was amusing enough that for once, he let Kagura have her way.

Privately, at that time, he actually felt threatened when she told him outright not to touch her target. To hear the weakling make a threat that had anger and intimidation oozing from it… that had made him smirk, and at the same time, felt that she was going to carry out the threat if he did so much as to even stand near her prey.

In response to his tale about quoting what his sibling had declared, the noble woman, who was currently drinking from her bottle, suddenly shot out the liquid that she was drinking from both her nose and her mouth.

Before he could stop himself, he began grinning like an idiot; after all, it wasn't everyday that you get to see a princess acting like a water fountain. If he had to get technical about it, the projectile motion had amazed him; who knew that such a small amount of liquid could reach that far?

What surprised him next was when he casually referred to Kagura as a 'weakling' that the brat had the audacity to actually threaten him, even going as far as to try and intimidate him by grabbing a hold of the collar of his top.

 _"Don't insult her in my presence, or I won't hesitate to tell you what a horrible person you are."_

Was that all she got?

Everyone knew how bad he was; even _he_ acknowledged that he treated his sister horribly.

Was the brat even trying with her threats?

He guessed not, for she gave up easily after seeing that her words failed to affect him. With that, she _had the nerve_ to turn her back on him and leave him.

If there was one thing he hated more than ever, it was people who left him hanging. Her standing up and leaving in the middle of… whatever the hell it was that they were doing left a bad taste in his mouth. Despite still being hungry after everything that he ate, seeing her retreating back made him lose his appetite, and a sickening feeling made its way to his stomach. All of a sudden, he felt anger as soon as he saw less and less of her figure among the crowd, and without thinking, he stood up, ignoring the fact that he had not yet throw the leftover plates and utensils, which caused everyone around him to glare at him, and chased after her.

"Why the hell are you walking away from me?"

When she kept ignoring him, he walked faster, and in no time at all, he managed to catch up to her. As soon as he was able to, he grabbed her wrist and whirled her around to force her to face him.

"Do _not_ ignore me. I hate it when—" Kamui was just about to tell her off when, to his surprise, he saw her eyes roll to the back of her head and she nearly collapsed in a heap if it wasn't for his reflexes. For someone who was used to fighting and killing, his fast and sharp reflexes kept him alive; this time around, however, he used it to _save someone_ from smashing her face against the ground.

Abuto would have a field day when he finds out about this.

He could practically hear the words.

 _"Boss, never knew you had it in you to save damsels-in-distress!"_

The brat of a princess was a damsel-in-distress? Hardly.

With proper training, she could probably gut someone open with those speared weapons he heard about [3]. He remembered Abuto saying that the women of samurai families used spears to ward off intruders from their home whenever the men were not around. Even if she was of nobility, she was still a member of a samurai clan, and he wondered how she would fare in a battlefield. If she could run fast in a restricting outfit, she might as well pair it off with the ability and skill to stab her enemies.

… He was most probably included in that list, but he'd take that as a challenge.

He'd like to see her try and wound him.

Aware that people around him were staring at them, he steadied his hold on her, as she, surprisingly, nearly collapsed to the ground in a crumpled heap, and had not fallen against him, as he was expecting. He may have been reading too much of those _shoujo_ manga crap that Kagura left lying around at the _samurai_ 's place (the Yorozuya, was it?) because entertainment in Edo only happened when it was at night time, and frankly, he'd rather drink in peace than let some girl pour drinks for him for a premium price [4].

She wasn't too heavy, but with his strength, it would be easy to carry her back to where they were sitting earlier. The male Amanto knew he should've recognized the signs, but who was he to act protective towards someone who could barely tolerate him? Carrying her in his arms by supporting the back of her knees and her upper back, he brought her back to the same area where they sat earlier, eyed a clean-looking bench that had no trash around it, and laid her on her side for the meantime.

The best thing to do was loosen her clothing but…

He was hesitating, not because he was a gentleman (a murderer like him, a gentleman?), but because basic decency told him not to do it. Sighing in frustration, he knew that it was no time to be a prude; it wasn't as if he hadn't had his fair share of looking at women's bodies. What difference did it make with the brat? She was flat, and that's all she would ever be in his eyes.

He finally resolved to untie the bright pink _obi_ wrapped around her waist, and upon the loosening of the cloth by pulling out the knots of the belt, her breathing began to sound more relaxed and steady; with this, he took the chance to lay her on her back after making sure that the knots have gone and the belt reverted back to its state of looking like a long strip of cloth. Grabbing the free _uchiwa_ distributed earlier that was lying beside him, he sat down where her head was positioned and began fanning her.

"Oi, brat, wake up. Now's not the time to be lying down."

Several seconds later, she responded. "I don't feel so good…"

Just before he could ask her what the hell happened, he heard her stomach growl. Despite looking so pale, she had turned red in mere seconds from embarrassment.

"You really are an idiot." He said, flicking her forehead with his finger, causing her to yelp. Still, he continued to fan her. "I asked you earlier if you wanted to eat—"

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "… I honestly thought you were mocking me at that time and that you were not serious with sharing your food." She confessed. "That's why… that's why I declined." He strained to hear the last part, and upon hearing her words, he was surprised that he actually felt bad about it.

… What the hell was that all about, making him feel guilty about what happened?

Why couldn't she tell the difference between sarcasm and sincerity?!

"… Well?"

"Well what?" she opened her eyes once more, her hazel eyes clearly confused.

"What _do_ you want to eat?" he clarified.

Even if she was upside from his view, it was obvious that she was shocked at what he had said, for her mouth gaped open in shock. "Close your mouth, or flies will enter." He said mockingly.

Silence ensued, until… "… How do I know that you won't turn this into a prank?"

 _Again with the suspicion._ He was really getting tired of this, but he figured that with the history between them, it was natural for her to be wary, especially towards him. Admittedly, he knew that; he usually switched easily between playful and murderous.

Sighing, he said, "Just tell me what you want to eat—"

"… Yakisoba then." The salt would help her recover from the dizziness… not to mention, she needed more sugar in her body. Another bottled drink would help.

"Okay."

Before he could stand up to buy what she requested, she hit him lightly against his thigh with her left knuckles, making him stop midway. Irritated at what she did, Kamui sat back down, and was about to open his mouth and ask her what her problem was when he kept his silence upon seeing her reach out for something inside the left sleeve of her _yukata._ Seconds later, she removed the drawstring pouch that was securely tied around her wrist.

"Here."

He took the small bag from her hand, nothing that when the string was keeping the pouch closed, it looked like a sunflower. The top part of the pouch, as well as the drawstrings, were brown. The cloth below it was colored light-yellow, while the rest of the bag was orange.

"Buy me food and a drink… something sweet for my drink." she told him. "Bring it here, then use the remaining money in my pouch to have fun."

He felt his forehead crease. "… 'Have fun'? What do you mean?"

She avoided his gaze by closing her eyes. "… I heard that you are fond of the shooting gallery." She shook her head. "Just get me my food, and then go play. I don't mind if you spend all of the money inside; it's on me."

"Why are you doing this?" he couldn't help but ask.

To this, she opened her eyes once more and grinned up at him. "… Because even though you're as bad as you say you are, you helped me out. Guess you're not as rotten as I thought you'd be."

* * *

He should have laughed at her face when she said that.

Instead, he felt his face warm up, remembered muttering something about buying food so that she'll be out of the way before walking as fast as he could in the guise of rushing to buy her food when, in all actuality, he was running away because _he was embarrassed_.

This was a first; him, feeling embarrassed because for some weird reason, the brat saw him as her savior when he was actually more in tune with villainy and playing the bad guy role.

The brat was seriously delusional; it must have been because of that dizzy spell she had.

He tried not to scowl too much, as it meant that he was letting her get to him. It was supposed to be the other way around; what kind of a villain was he if he was unable to torment the supposedly innocent princess?

He hated losing, and he was going to show her that she was wrong.

He was rotten to the core; always have, always will.

By the time Kamui got back to the bench area, she was finally sitting upright, but seemed like she was out of sorts, for she looked dazed, and her focus was aimed at the ground. When he got to where she was resting, he handed over the plate of _yakisoba,_ a pair of chopsticks, and a bottle of cola. Upon saying her thanks, she placed the bottle beside her, and opened the plastic container. She was just about to dig in when, upon placing her chopsticks on the pile of fried noodles and scooping up the food, the noodles slipped down the chopsticks.

"… Eh?" she wondered out loud. "W-what the—" she tried to get some noodles again, but had failed to do so the second time. Not surprisingly, her hands shook slightly as she did this simple task, irritating her. She should not have been surprised, but still… her helplessness….

"Oh? You can't seem to get any food. I'll help out!" with his eyes sparking, she knew he was up to no good. Ignoring her protests, he grabbed the plastic container and chopsticks, scooped some noodles in-between the utensils, and hastily showed it into her slightly-opened mouth. As her mouth was half-full of noodles, she had no choice but to start chewing.

"Come on, have some more!" he said cheerfully, much to Soyo's chagrin. Ignoring her squeaks of protest, he then proceeded to shove noodles after noodles on her mouth with the chopsticks. When the plastic container was finally empty, the male Yato took in the sight of a puffy-cheeked princess whose mouth was overflowing with noodles and began laughing loudly, even slapping his knee at times. Soyo, angry that she had actually told him that he wasn't rotten, regretted every single word she said. While this saddened her, she knew that people like him, no matter how much they try to reform, will always be the bad guy.

She'll have to teach him.

As fast as she could, she began to chew her food, making sure that it went down properly. Twice, she nearly choked, and she reminded herself that if she made a mistake, he would laugh harder and would mock her further. Fury shook her body, and upon swallowing the last bit of noodles, she stood up and was about to deliver a kick upon him when, to her horror, the most unimaginable and worst thing that could ever happen to her _happened_.

On this very day.

At this very moment.

In front of this very jerk.

She knew that he had loosen her obi; he loosened not only the belt itself, but also the other materials that held it in place when she fainted. For that, she was thankful, as it helped her breathe easy.

The princess had been very confident that the belt tied around her hips that held her _yukata_ together would not fail her… but it _did_. Down the gartered belt went, and her robe flew open. Much to her embarrassment, she had foregone the _yukata_ slip tonight, as it had been too hot, and she wanted to be more comfortable by simply wearing very short denim shorts and a bikini top. Because of her actions, not only did she have no dignity left, but she had exposed herself in her undergarments _right in front of her best friend's older brother_ , all because she couldn't hold her temper.

That, and she had been successful in her endeavor, as her right _geta_ had detached from her feet and hit him squarely in the face, as she saw him flinch upon seeing her wooden slipper making contact.

At the back of her mind, however, she told herself to run as far away from him as possible.

But first…

Hastily, she grabbed the hip belt from the ground and tied it back to her hips. Years of training, especially during the times she had to dress herself up when the need arise (especially whenever she was roused from her sleep in order to evacuate), had ensured that she would be able to do it properly. Despite her haste to cover herself, however, it did not stop her from exposing her bikini top, though she expected that this guy probably wouldn't care if she was naked.

After all, he had always saw her as a brat.

When she finally managed to cover her chest by fixing the _yukata_ collar, Soyo was all but ready to abandon her other _geta_ to make a run for it, with her bright pink _obi_ in hand, when a voice behind her grabbed her arm.

"Bet you thought you'd be able to run away, didn't you?"

The raven-haired princess had been caught off-guard that she couldn't help but scream out loud, even though she had been told time and again not to bring attention to herself. Before she could even try to escape, he had wrapped his arms around her, shocking her further as he lifted her off the ground and began walking to wherever it was that he was heading to. He ignored her screams, probably thinking that she was playing along with him when her heart was pounding with dread and horror at the thought of her dying by his hands.

She might probably have an overactive imagination, but it wasn't impossible.

What was this guy planning?!

"You thought you could run away?" his voice sent chills down her spine, and if it was even possible, her heart sped up. "Sorry, _princess_ , but I'm not letting you go."

Other girls would've probably swooned at that line, especially if someone as exotic as this Amanto had said those words to them.

But not her.

This guy… he was seriously dangerous, and she was trying hard not to look like she was scared to death; who knew what he would do when he realizes that she was shaking with fear?

To her horror, he began humming as he continued to carry her, steadying her even in his arms; even though she resolved herself to remain calm, she had been unable to resist kicking him as best as she could with the heel of her feet. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to slow him down as his pace did not change one bit, despite her slamming her feet as hard as she could against his calves.

"It's not gonna work. Stop resisting."

Did he even know how creepy he sounded when he said that…?!

Tension was building up within her, and as much as she didn't want to cause a fuss, she was unable to stop herself from screaming out loud, her voice shrill and fearful at the thought of his hands making its way around her neck to choke the life out of her after leading her to some secluded spot, which was what he was probably doing right now.

Moments after, he stopped walking. "… Are you… shaking?"

Soyo had not noticed her body's reaction to the endless possibilities of getting herself killed tonight, but there was no way she would admit that to him.

"N-No, I'm not…!" she yelled out almost immediately. While she fought the urge to make her expression look neutral, her body said otherwise.

He let her down for a moment, with the tips of her toes touching the ground… only for him to sweep her off her feet again, but this time around, he had placed his arms on the back of her knees and her upper back, surprising her, though this time around, she felt scared at their closeness. She was still wary of him, and she didn't want anything more than them being cordial.

But the way he was holding her…

"Better?" the voice he used was surprisingly gentle, but she wasn't going to fall for that.

Just before she could tell him to let her go, all of a sudden, they were surrounded by men clad in _yukata_ —or rather, it was the Shinsengumi who were in civilian clothes, and the one leading them was Hijikata Toushirou, the only one who was wearing the trademark black uniform.

"H-Hijikata-san?!" she exclaimed, wondering how the demon vice-chief had managed to find her.

"… Princess, is this guy bothering you?" asked the mayonnaise-loving policeman, who was now glaring at her best friend's brother.

She blanched at the thought of them engaging in battle during this festive season; no doubt, this guy would find a way to kill Hijikata-san, no matter how competent and skilled the policeman may be. Not only that, but the fight would ruin the festival for everyone attending it.

Add to that, the devastation he would be leaving in his wake.

"Actually, he's just about to leave." To Kamui, she demanded, "Put me down."

"No." came the reply.

"And why the hell not?" she demanded angrily.

"I'm not done playing with you yet." He answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, which made her gape at him. "Don't give me that look; we _are_ not done playing yet."

Hijikata was the first to recover from the shock. "… Are you implying _that… that…_ in that way!?"

"Imply what as what? I say what I mean; I'm not done playing with her yet, so don't get in my way, will you?" she really shouldn't have been surprised when he made a run for it by jumping over all of the police officers. Soyo figured that the reason he changed his hold on her was because he intended to use her as a shield of sorts from any impending attack from the police force.

It worked.

Not only were the Shinsengumi left helpless, all they could do was watch as the male Amanto make a run for it by carrying their princess in his arms. Try as she might to even escape, she knew she couldn't; not only was he holding her securely, but if she even tried to push away from him, she could probably break her neck from the fall and die from it, as he was running so fast that it was almost inhuman.

For now, she would just have to hold on tight; instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his neck, hoping that when this was over, she would still be alive.

* * *

He didn't know what possessed him to take her up on those abandoned fire lookout towers.

Despite the existence of firefighters, those wooden structures could still be seen all over town, probably to preserve it as a historical landmark. The place looked worn, but he was sure that it was sturdy enough to hold their weight. It was made entirely out of wood, save for the roof, which was tiled and curved. The tower itself had no windows so that it was easy to stick your neck out and check the area for any sightings of a fire, all the while leaning on the wooden ledge that reached one's waist. Despite the space that could fit four people at most, it felt as if it was too small, for their shoulders were nearly touching one another from where they stood. After he had let her down, he could still feel the heat that radiated from her body when he carried her.

Kamui was supposed to take her to a nearby river and dump her there just so he could have a good laugh at her drenched and miserable state, but ended up finding himself going to a lookout tower instead.

It was hard to figure out how the hell that had happened… as much as he wanted to blame her for making him think of thoughts that he usually did not associate with the brat, he found that he was unable to do so.

He hated it.

"Ummm… w-why did you bring me here…?"

It was on the tip of his tongue to jokingly say, "Because I want to push you to your death." But again, the male Amanto found out that could not bring himself to say it.

What the hell was happening to him?

Was this what they meant by 'summer fever', the only time where you give no fucks about the consequences of your action and only blaming it to the fact that the season made you do things?

If that was the case, then he'll blame it all on the season.

"Kamui-san?" she called his attention again

He snapped back to reality and he gave a shrug. "Aren't festivals all about fireworks? I wanted to see it from a high place, and I forgot that I was carrying you… even though you weighed so much—"

"Hey!"

"So effectively, you're stuck with me until—" to his surprise, his heart was pounding madly against his chest when he found no reason for him to have that kind of reaction. "—until the fireworks are over… unless you wanna jump down and break your neck."

She gestured at the open windows that was used by the firefighters of the past to do their surveillance. "Be my guest. I'll push you down and see if it's possible to break one's neck from this height." The innocent smile she plastered on her face while saying something so gruesome had, to his dismay, made his heart skip a beat. "Wanna try?"

Damn her.

"I'll survive." He assured her. "No need for an experiment."

"Aww, too bad." She peered over the ledge and shuddered. It didn't help that the fire lookout tower was attached to a building that used to house the firefighters "… That's a long way down."

"Sure is." He boasted. "Unlike _you,_ I have no problem jumping from this height—"

"I know." She interrupted him, her voice turning serious all of a sudden, which surprised him. "I saw the way you 'cleaned up' the bodies years ago when you jumped down from the ship you were on." [5] She told him quietly as her hand gripped the ledge of the watchtower tightly, as if pained from the memories.

Kamui could not understand why he felt bad all of a sudden when he heard her say those words.

The silence that followed was uncomfortable and unbearable.

He found himself trying to avoid any accidental contact with her by staying still at the far-end corner of the lookout tower. As much as he wanted to bring her back to the ground and return her to her friends, he realized that he didn't want to. It scared him that some force within him was compelling him to keep her with him… at least, until the fireworks were over.

Not to mention, he had to get her a replacement pair of slippers, as she was currently barefoot.

He had effectively managed to force her to spend time with him by trapping her in a place where she could not escape… and he expected himself to feel proud and happy with what he did. The male Yato, however, found himself angry over the situation.

What _was_ the point of bringing her here if she looked like she'd rather jump from the lookout tower than watch the fireworks with him?

He had to make a choice: either he bring her back to her friends or—

"Soyo-chan!" the yelling came from the ground below.

Of all the rotten luck, his sister had to ruin it for him.

"Soyo-chan, where are you?!" he heard his sister call again. "Are you alright?!"

From the corner of his eye, he saw the raven-haired girl raise a hand in an attempt to signal her location to Kagura, and possibly even call out to her. Panicking, he used his arm, snaked it around her torso, and just before she could yell out, he covered her mouth with a free hand from behind and pulled her away from the balcony area and towards the center area of the base. As she struggled against him, he knew it was now or never.

"… Stay with me."

 _Please_.

To his surprise, when he removed his hand over her mouth, all she said was, "… Alright." in a soft voice.

He found himself letting out a breath that he didn't know he was holding upon hearing her reply.

Wordlessly, he let go of her, but to his surprise, she was still leaning against him. The _obi_ , which she was holding on to when he made his escape, now laid on the floor, discarded. With that now gone, the distance between them was closer than ever, and admittedly, he was not sure how to feel with their closeness. He kept his distance most of the time from others, unable to understand the need for body contact unless he needed to rip someone's throat out. Right now, this was a foreign feeling that was neither uncomfortable nor made him disgusted.

He found it… _pleasant_.

 _This is getting stupid,_ he told himself as he willed himself to push her away, but had been unable to do so.

It scared him that this mere female Earthling had some hold over him… and if she knew the power that she had over him—

"Kamui-san?"

"What?" his response was harsher than he intended.

"I think the coast is clear. Can you…" she chuckled nervously. "Can you… uhhh… let go for the meantime?"

He cursed upon realizing that his hands were wrapped around her waist, and he let go immediately.

As for her, she picked up the _obi_ that had fallen on the floor, and was about to put it back on when they heard a loud noise. From where they were standing, they could see that the fireworks display has started. While she was staring in awe at the sky and making occasional 'oh!' whenever they came up with a clever burst of fireworks (like there was this one that suspiciously looked like a certain electric mouse), he found himself stealing glances at her whenever he sensed that she was too engrossed with the pyrotechnics.

This was not good; what the hell was happening to him?

"Kamui-san?"

He looked at her and was surprised at her look of concern.

"Is there something on my face? You've been staring at it for a while and you looked so serious…"

He found himself shaking his head. "… It's nothing."

"Are you sure? Are you okay though?" she asked him again.

"I'm fine." The weather had improved, as well as the temperature, but he knew that the clothes he was wearing made the hot weather tolerable for him, especially since it was rather flimsy to boot. "I got distracted."

Thankfully, she did not ask further, as he would have to rack his brain for an answer.

 _"It was more fun looking at your face than the fireworks. Is that a problem?"_

He had no problem being blunt and stating the obvious, but his gut feeling told him that she would probably not take it well if she knew the real reason why he was not looking up the sky like she was currently doing right now.

Where the hell was his beer anyway?

He needed a drink; he was getting more confused than ever over this whole thing. All he wanted was to enjoy the summer festival; was that so hard to do?

 _Apparently, it was._

* * *

The fireworks nearly lasted for an hour, and she was itching for it to be over as soon as possible.

Tokugawa Soyo hated the fact that their closeness was making her uncomfortable, but not in the way she expected. As much as she wanted to blame the heat for making her thoughts go towards the direction she never expected, she realized that no matter how much she blamed the hot weather, fact remained that she was getting _way too comfortable_ with her best friend's older brother.

… Not that it was some kind of personal taboo, but if circumstances had been different—

 _Don't you dare,_ she reprimanded herself, knowing that no good would come out of the possibility of her and this guy being more than just acquaintances.

The mere fact that he was existing should have been enough to deter her from interacting with him, but to her own horror, _she allowed him to take her up the fire lookout tower_ and _she even enjoyed watching the fireworks with him_.

This has got to stop.

"That was fun." Came his sing-song voice. "Didn't know that fireworks display like these can take that long."

"Guess so." she muttered as she began to fix her obi. "Should've been shorter…"

"Huh?"

"Nothing." Cursing herself for being unable to filter what she said out loud, she was done tying her _obi_ in a matter of minutes, and turned it clockwise so that the ribbon would be positioned on her back. "… Can we leave now?"

To her surprise, he was behind her in a matter of seconds and had tugged on her _obi_. Just before she could yell at him, he said, "It was lopsided, so I fixed it for you."

… Well, at least he wasn't trying to take it off.

Then again, why did she even expect him to do that when the guy probably gets turned on over dead bodies and blood?

He was most likely the type to simply smirk and tell a naked girl to not get in his way, and possibly even push her away in the event she tries to seduce him.

"… Well, thank you." She said politely.

Wordlessly, he placed a hand inside his sleeve, and tugged out a familiar-looking pouch, handing it to her. She had been so overwhelmed with the things that had happened that she nearly forgot that he had yet to return her per pouch bag.

"T-thank you." She grabbed the bag hastily from his hand and tucked it inside the sleeve of her _yukata_. "Can we go now?"

The sooner they would part, the better for her; her thoughts were straying into dangerous territory, and she was not ready for such.

"Sure."

Upon realizing that her outfit would make it difficult for her to climb up on his back and carry her down, Soyo found herself making a face. "… Is there any other way for us to get out of here that does not involve _you_ carrying me?"

"Nope!" he said brightly. "We'll have to jump from this height so that we can reach the ground!"

 _Damn it_. And she thought she could avoid physical contact once and for all.

"… I see." She might as well get this over and done with. "Well, uh…" before she could ask him how he would be carrying her back down (her being carried over his shoulder like a sack of potato was not a good idea, especially since her obi was back on), he gave her his answer by carrying her the same way as before, with one arm under the back of her knees while the other was on her upper back.

If this was done in a teenage romance novel, like the ones that she saw in bookstores, both of them would probably be blushing like crazy right now, but the circumstances were… very far off from the usual formula. He was a former villain ('reformed' was stretching it when she has yet to see him in a good light) who tried to kill her years back as he saw her as a nuisance, while she, to her utter embarrassment, was so wary of him that it was impossible not to think that he would kill her.

It was, after all, better to be safe than sorry.

Being aware and ready for anything was a far better alternative than getting caught off guard and dying in the process.

"Better hold on." He reminded her.

Automatically, she tightened her hold around his neck, bracing herself for anything wrong that might happen midway… _just in case he suddenly changes his mind and lets her go in mid-air._ She'll have to snap his neck in retaliation, if she could even manage that.

At least she'll get her revenge before all the bones in her body get crushed by the impact.

"… Princess, you're choking me." he told her, squeezing her thigh, which made her flush. Even through the _yukata_ , she felt the warmth of his hand… and it angered her that her mind had to point out that fact.

She brushed away the thought. "Good." She held on to him tighter, making sure that her grip closed around his neck in an attempt to annoy him.

She only realized that he referred to her by her title without using sarcasm when he took a leap and they began their descent to the ground.

 _… What was that all about?_

* * *

Okita Sougo was never the type to be surprised… until tonight, that is.

When they lost the princess early that night, he tried his best to remain calm, though China had been livid all throughout, blaming him for being 'careless'. When he pointed out that she was to blame as much as he was, she had kept silent for a good half an hour until she demanded that they look for her, which they did, despite the restrictions that their outfit imposed, as they were both clad in _yukata_ as well. Hijikata had contacted him an hour after, saying that they found the princess… though she took off immediately with 'someone who had the same hair color as the Yorozuya girl'.

He had never seen China turn so pale in an instant, and her _yukata_ , navy-colored and patterned with stripes and pansies all over it, paired with an off-white _obi_ , had further highlighted her paleness.

They tried to look for Tokugawa Soyo again, and this time, they searched the perimeter of the festival grounds, to no avail. By this time, China was so overwrought that he had to provoke her in order for her to get her mind off of it.

"Seriously, China, your best friend is a grown woman, and she can fend off for herself." He casually reminded her. "She's not a child anymore."

China, being China, just had to argue back at him. "Yes, but the guy she's with—" she shuddered. "My stupid brother might do something horrible to her!"

Well, he couldn't contend with that.

Still, he was confident that the princess could hold her ground against that guy. "She'll gut him open like a fish if he tries something funny—"

"How would _you_ know?" she asked hotly.

"… Because we trained her on how to use a pocket knife, just in case that… _incident_ happens again. And yes, she does have a pocket knife that she carries with her at all times." He informed the female Amanto. "Better be safe than sorry."

China had opened her mouth, and he braced himself for another round of yelling when a dark shade of vermillion caught the corner of his eye. Turning his head to the left, he found himself gaping at the sight of China's older brother, the very one who nearly killed him years ago, _carrying the princess in his arms_. What was more shocking was the fact that _he_ looked so nonchalant about it, whereas the princess was looking elsewhere, suddenly finding the peony patterns of her _yukata_ very interesting, with her hands around _that guy_ 's neck and—

… Was she actually blushing?

He blinked to prevent himself from making a face.

Better to look like he didn't care about what he just saw… even if he was in desperate need to bleach his eyes from the sight of a former murderer carrying Edo's princess in his arms like some kind of romantic hero.

His rival, on the other hand, wasted no time screaming out her displeasure.

"… Why the hell are _you_ carrying her?!"

Sometimes, she asked the stupidest questions; then again, he found himself wanting to know the reason behind this sudden turn of events, most especially since he could simply act like a brute and slung her over his shoulder like a sack of produce.

"I don't want to get accused of hurting your princess' feet." The other guy stated. "Her footwear is nowhere to be seen—"

"We have it." The vice-chief had handed over the footwear to him, saying that there was a possibility that the princess would be looking for them first, and true enough, Hijikata's prediction came true. Holding up a pair of her wooden footwear, Okita laid it on the ground. "You can put her down now."

Was it just his imagination, or did the princess' hold on the guy's neck lingered for a bit before letting go?

Not only that, but judging by the guy's body language… it seemed as if he was reluctant to let her go as well.

… Not to mention, it looked odd seeing his arm around the younger girl's waist as she slipped on her _geta_ , only to let go when he was sure that she was steady on her feet.

 _Interesting._

"Kagura-chan!" the raven-haired girl ran towards her best friend to give her a hug. After pulling away, she flashed an apologetic smile. "Sorry to make you worry—"

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" the anger in China's gaze was obvious, yet the guy simply laughed at her.

"I was the perfect gentleman." It took everything in him not to snort out loud at China's older brother's words. "And she actually liked my company."

"Stop lying! You probably threatened her not to say anything bad about you!"

Sighing, Sougo knew he had to step it, or this would not end well.

"China, calm down. She's back, and she said nothing about him mistreating her." he turned to look at Soyo, who flashed him an apologetic smile, which made him shudder inwardly. There it was, her 'please forgive me' look. "Did he hurt you, princess? We'll make sure he won't return if you wish."

She shook her head. "No, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" he asked for a second time, just to be sure that he heard right.

"He actually behaved himself for once." A shrug from the raven-haired girl. "Guess he took the warning about no one wanting to spend time with him at a summer festival to heart."

 _So that's what it was all about_. Despite being a sadist after his own heart, the princess was still as compassionate as ever.

"Be kind of animals, as they say." China nodded in agreement. "Rabbits can get lonely, after all."

"… Did you just equate me to an inferior mammal?" came the menacing tone of the male Amanto, who was smiling like the fight he had been waiting for was about to happen right here, right now.

Luckily, the princess had stepped in to ensure that no fight would break out between the two siblings. Okita silently thanked his luck, for the princess had realized that the two siblings would not stop bickering unless someone interrupted them. She took a few steps towards the other guy and held out a hand, offering a handshake.

Okita found himself placing a hand on his hip while his other hand gripped the paper bag he was holding and prepared himself to be on standby… _just in case_ the male Amanto did something funny.

"… I actually had fun tonight. I think it's good if you drop by from time to time and join festivals like these in autumn too."

Upon hearing this, he made a mental note to keep a keen eye on the princess at the next festival, whenever that may be… or even try to make sure that the guy, if ever he accepts the invitation, would keep his hands to himself. It was not hard to miss the look in the male Yato's eyes... and it shocked him that it looked somewhat feral and _hungry_.

What the hell happened between them anyway?

"Don't tell me what to do."

For the second time that night, Okita Sougo got the shock of his life.

China's brother held out his hand as well… but used the opportunity to pull the princess back into his arms to hug her, which he succeeded in doing. In response, the Yorozuya girl screamed in bloody murder and was about to attack her brother when Sougo held her back to stop her from charging at the two by restraining her arms. The princess, unsurprisingly, was all red and was trying to get away from the hug that China's brother had trapped her in while _that guy_ used his strength to his advantage and was still not letting her go.

What the hell did he do to deserve this, witnessing two acts of what he might dare constitute as 'romantic' (if that was even possible, given that the other guy didn't have any romantic bone in his body until tonight) that involved his own ward? Add to that, he had to hold back China (which was not easy to do, given that she was a Yato), or blood would be spilled on the ground.

To his relief, the older brother had finally let go half a minute later… and looked so damn pleased with himself that Sougo couldn't help but roll his eyes at Kamui, who looked like he won some kind of prize. The princess, on the other hand, was gaping at the guy, her face still a bright red, and was staring as if the guy who just hugged her had grown an extra head all of a sudden.

"See ya around." Raising an arm, he mock saluted the princess and ran off to wherever it was that he was going, leaving even the First Division Captain of the Shinsengumi shocked and at a loss for words over what he had witnessed. With his hold on China loosening, the girl finally broke away from his hold and ran after her brother, screaming obscenities and profanities at the guy who, in her words, 'dared to grope her best friend'.

With China out of sight, he went over to where the princess was, who suddenly fell to the ground, probably because of the shock.

"… Are you okay?" he asked. At her nod, he sighed in relief, glad to hear that nothing untoward had happened to her. Holding out his hand, he pulled her back up to her feet.

It took a while for her to speak again.

"So, how was the date between you and Kagura-chan?"

Trust her to set them up; the princess was rather perceptive of his feelings towards her best friend… and he found that there was no use hiding it from her. To his annoyance, she would then be not-so-subtle about her teasing whenever China was around… and admittedly, he suspected that she had set up them up earlier, but said nothing, as he figured that a few hours alone with China wouldn't do anything terrible to his sanity.

"… Guess it was tolerable." A lot had happened earlier between him and China… and he refused to elaborate on it.

Not unless she'd tell him what happened between her and that guy; it was only fair.

"Spill!" she smacked his chest with the back of her hand, making him wince. Surprisingly, the princess had a rather heavy hand, and her supposedly 'delicate figure' humbled the sadistic ability she was hiding. Her 'playful slap' was no exception either.

To his relief, China came back immediately, her expression murderous.

"I'll seriously kill that guy the second I see him again." She vowed as she returned to where her best friend was. "Just say the word, and I promise to wipe him off the face of the Earth, Soyo-chan."

"I'll be fine." The princess said. "I can tolerate him… as long as my interactions with him are in small, infrequent doses."

Okita Sougo seriously doubted that his ward was telling the truth; even if her words declared that she could not stand China's brother, her actions earlier said otherwise. He may not look like it, but he had an eye for observing people. No matter how hard they all tried to hide it with their words, their actions and gestures betrayed them. Maybe the princess herself was not aware of it yet, but she was most definitely interested in that guy… and the feeling was mutual.

The way the guy looked at her… it was very predatory. He would've laughed at the imagery if it had been a rabbit who was the predator, but that guy happen to be a very, _very_ dangerous rabbit.

He felt sick all of a sudden at the possibility of the princess getting together with that guy in the future, but if it made her happy… well, he would let her do whatever it was that she wanted, but not without giving her some unsolicited advice, just so she'd know what she was getting into.

On the other hand, it was China who would need a lot of convincing.

She was most definitely not going to be happy with the turn of events, that's for sure.

 _'But at least the princess will become her sister in the truest sense…'_

Did the Yato marry? They probably did, if not for breeding purposes.

"Why the hell are you smiling, sadist? That's creepy." China said out loud. In response, he grabbed the sides of her face and pulled it apart, ignoring her screams of protest to let her go and avoiding the punches she threw his way.

"Says the one who looked like she ran through a typhoon chasing after her brother." he remarked, referring to her hair. The pigtails that she had on the sides of her head were now askew, while her flower ornament was threatening to fall out of her head. Letting go of her left cheek, he shoved the ornament back on her head, making her yelp. He let go of her face and turned to the princess, who looked so deep in thought all of a sudden. "Shall we escort you back to the estate, princess?"

"Oh, yes. Sure." She smiled.

No doubt, the princess needed the time to think this through.

Today's festival had become overwhelming for all of them.

* * *

"… I will definitely not forgive him for that stunt he did to Soyo-chan."

Right after she and sadist departed from her best friend's estate, located in the suburbs of a city within Edo, in her anger and frustration, she blurted out those words. As much as she wanted to talk about it to her best friend when she asked them to stay for the meantime and have some tea, Soyo skillfully avoided the topic by asking them what they were doing while she wasn't with them. Sadist had provided the details by telling her that they simply ate, then headed for the game stalls and have a match, which answered the question as to why they suddenly had stuffed toys.

It seemed that the princess had been curious as to why both of them were suddenly holding paper bags that contained stuffed animals… or in Okita's case, a stuffed toy of a character from a certain online game [6].

What Soyo didn't know was that they accidentally won each other's prizes and ended up giving it to the other.

For Kagura, it felt as if she won the prize for sadist and—

"Still not over it?" asked the sadist. Surprisingly, his words were not filled with sarcasm nor malice.

She shook her head. "… Of all the people he had to take an interest in, it had to be the sweetest and nicest person I know." Her grip on her plush toy tightened. "My brother can be a charming asshat if he wants to, and he probably thought he can fool her, and that she's naïve—"

"I don't think so." Okita interrupted her. "She knows _everything_ there is to know about that guy, even before you told her about him, and you did your part as her friend. Everything's in her hands now."

"But—" before she could even protest, he tapped her shoulder. Automatically, she turned to face him… though it took a while for her to focus on what he was saying.

Damn hormones.

Damn his face.

After all these years, he turned more and more handsome, and she hated herself for being not totally immune to him, just like the women of Edo. At age fourteen, she never really bothered looking at him closely, but when she hit eighteen… well, it seemed as if a side that she never knew existed within her reminded her that _he_ was a _male Earthling_ who was equally at par with her when it came to his fighting skills.

A _male Earthling_ who looked handsome in _everything_ he wore, most especially when he was clad in traditional clothing. Like right now, when he was wearing a midnight blue _yukata_ paired together with a red _obi_ embroidered with black patterns.

It was difficult to concentrate on the games when _he_ stood beside her.

Clothing issues and distractions aside, he had been supportive earlier as well, something that she did not expect. He usually took a jab at her for losing her cool, but he didn't… heck, she suspected that it was his way to making her feel better.

She hated to admit it, but Okita Sougo was becoming… dare she say it, an important part of her life.

"I know you're worried, but as I've said earlier, the princess is a grown woman, and she knows what she'll be getting into if she actually decides to pursue that guy." The sadist said, his eyes serious. She must have looked panicky at the thought of Soyo going after her brother, for he continued, "Unless she asks for help, we'll simply stay in the sidelines and let her handle your brother. Got it?"

She did understand what he was trying to say, but still… she couldn't help but worry.

"… Fine. I won't do anything. But if he makes her cry…" The thought of seeing her best friend _cry_ over her brother… it made her shudder, not because she felt sorry for her best friend, but the thought of _someone_ crying over Kamui was horrifying.

Who knew the level-headed Tokugawa Soyo was smitten over a former space pirate?

She was feeling sick just at the thought of it.

"Come on, let's get going, or I'll never hear the end of it from the boss." Despite being a legal adult in Edo, Gin-chan still treated her like a child and had actually set a curfew for her tonight, and demanded that she be home before one in the morning.

And just like every young woman, she intended to rebel against her father figure.

"… Let him." she found herself replying, making sadist raise an eyebrow.

"I'm the one who's gonna get in trouble, not you." He reminded her. "He said that he'll hold me responsible for your safety—"

"He won't know; he's most likely to be at the _pachinko_ , wasting all of the money he's supposed to be using to pay me and Shinpachi." She shrugged. "It's still too early anyway." It was already nine in the evening, but she still did not want to go home.

"Then what do you suggest that we do?"

"… We continue off what we were supposed to do before the whole 'the princess is missing!' fiasco happened?" she nearly laughed when she saw the sadist turn red in the face. "Oh, come on. Don't tell me you forgot—"

"I didn't. Maybe _you_ did." He shot back.

"Oh yeah?" she glared. "Maybe you need a reminder—" before she realized it, he closed the gap between them by grabbing her by the waist and kissing her roughly on the lips, slipping his tongue inside her mouth and pulling away before she could even respond. Everything had happened to fast that, to her shock, she dropped her stuffed toy on the ground.

"… I certainly didn't forget, China." His scarlet-red eyes were aimed at her, and she couldn't help but feel her cheeks burn under his gaze.

 _This_ was the reason why they couldn't fess up to Soyo-chan about what happened earlier.

It was too private, too intense… and too soon to let everyone know.

She had an inkling that her best friend knew about what she felt for Okita, but still… now was not a good time to tell her when she had problems of her own, specifically ones that involved her brother.

"G-good." She tried hard not to stutter in her response. "Glad to know that your memory is as sharp as ever."

He held on to her tighter. "… After pulling my _yukata_ collar without any warning, you expect me to not remember it?" He was referring to their bet when they went for the shooting gallery the second time after they ate. The first round was the time when they won prizes and no one was keeping score between them. On the second round, she arrogantly told him that if he wins, she would allow him to kiss her. Unsurprisingly, he had rolled his eyes and simply told her to concentrate on the game… which she failed to do so, as she was both surprised and angry at the fact that he simply brushed away what she said.

And with that, she lost by a huge margin.

All because she was both distracted and too nervous to do her best.

When he asked her if she allowed herself to lose, her response had been to grab the collar of his _yukata_ and kiss him.

 _"Why are males so damn clueless?!"_ she remembered herself saying those words after she pulled away. Immediately after that, he was unable to confront her, as he received a call from Mayora about Soyo-chan being missing. Upon hearing the news from sadist, who went all 'business mode', it immediately sent her into a panic, especially since she found out that Kamui had been involved. With her mind distracted, she had temporarily forgotten about what happened between them… until hours later, when she reminded him of it.

In response, she shrugged.

"First time you lost on purpose." He told her softly. "It kind of left a bad taste in my mouth, knowing that you were not taking our match seriously."

She decided to ignore his jab about her mouth; surely, he did not taste the _takoyaki_ she ate before she kissed him…?!

She hoped not. It had been on impulse, seeing that everything she has been doing to get his attention for the past few months were being ignored by him. Kagura did not know what she was doing wrong, and it frustrated her that he was not reciprocating.

"Well, sorry—"

"You're not sorry." He interrupted her, his voice stern. "You actually don't regret it."

Well, he was right with that account, but he did not need to know about that. "I—"

"You've been a bad girl." The next line nearly deprived her of her breathing. "I'm putting you under arrest for lying to a police officer."

His next move had shocked her: grabbing her by her torso, he hauled her over his shoulder, picked up her fallen stuffed toy, stuffed it along with his plush toy inside the paper bag, and began to walk. Panicking, she asked him where he was taking her and she felt his shoulders rumble from laughter.

"I'm placing you under house arrest under _my watch_."

As far as she knew, he had moved out of the Shinsengumi compound because he wanted his own place.

"W-what?!"

"Did you forget?" he tsked. "You told your brother that my head is yours for the taking."

"Y-yeah, so?!" sadist was not making any sense, and she was feeling slightly nervous over what he meant by 'house arrest'.

"… I'll get to the point: yes, China, you can have my head. It's yours for the taking. And while you're at it, I'm placing you under house arrest at _my place_ until I have deemed your punishment sufficient."

 _… Oh._

So that's what he meant.

Not surprisingly, her heart began beating madly at the thought of her staying at his place for the night. She wasn't _that naïve_ , mind you. Tsukki had given her _that kind of talk_ when she hit sixteen, as Gin-chan had been too embarrassed to do so; technically, according to the Courtesan of Death, it was usually the male who visited the female and would spend the night at her place. In her case, it was impossible to do that kind of thing, as she still lived with Gin-chan.

Despite his nonchalant attitude towards the Yorozuya and whatever they did with their lives, he'd know immediately what went on.

If it was Okita's place, it would afford them some privacy.

As she gave no response to what he said, he lightly slapped the back of her right thigh, making her yelp.

"You sure are quiet. Still in shock?"

In retaliation, she reached out as best as she could and slapped his backside, making him jolt.

" _If_ you're actually up to the challenge…" She was grateful that he was unable to see her face, which she knew was still crimson because of his earlier statement. "Do your worst, _Sougo_." The female Amanto dared him.

She could picture him smirking, but had not seen his eyes glimmer in anticipation for tonight. "As you wish."

* * *

Tokugawa Soyo had to admit, being stuck in a house where her movements out of the house were restricted to three hours a day at most was driving her to the brink of insanity. Her best friend couldn't visit her all the time, and she was at war with her very own relatives, specifically the Hitotsubashi faction, who still wanted her dead. The Shinsengumi were busy with their duties, while Okita-san was shifted in-between bodyguard duties and patrol duties. Needless to say, she found her everyday life quite boring… until three days ago, when a letter arrived.

She usually did not receive letters anymore, as she used her smartphone to contact her friends and the Shinsengumi, but this one…

As soon as she found out that it was from her best friend's brother, immediately, her heart began pounding nervously.

 _What does this guy want now…?_

She had been expecting that he would not bother her until the next festival, which was a month from now, but for him to send a letter her way… it was suspicious.

Deftly, she opened the envelope, scanned the contents, and nearly laughed.

As expected, his handwriting was crude, yet legible. Problem was, he used too many _hiragana_ that she had a hard time deciphering what he was saying. It took her half an hour to figure everything out and by then, she stared at the letter on the table in disbelief before laughing out loud.

It had been a while since she had laughed heartily, and the most ironic part was that someone she barely knew had been the one who made her laugh today… especially since his letter had been rather amusing, to say the least.

The most interesting part of it was that _he_ was subtly asking her when the next festival was, and if he had to wear a _yukata_ or a _jinbei_ for that particular event.

Shaking her head in disbelief and in amusement, she grabbed a sheet of paper on her desk and began to pen back her reply.

After sending out her first letter, she unexpectedly got herself a pen pal… or rather, a galaxy pen pal whose location was currently unknown, though somehow, the letters would get to him as long as she sent her letters through an Express Amanto postal service. Ever since they began writing to one another regularly, she wrote letters four times a day.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all… though she reminded herself that interaction with him needed to be done in small, infrequent doses. While letter writings were fine, as he was somewhere in the galaxy while she was on Earth, she knew she shouldn't get into it too much, nor should she give it the time of her day.

She knew that she was failing on the last aspect, but still… _she was trying_.

In her consolation, at least with letter-writing, she would be safe... that goes too for her own heart and her emotions.

If the princess had to be honest, she was fearing the day that she would simply accept her budding feelings for _that guy_ in a matter-of-fact way, but until that day comes, she would just go on and do her own thing.

No one had to know.

She just had to keep on denying it until that day comes.

* * *

It was unusual for the boss to be _consistently happy_.

If Abuto had to be honest, it was scaring him to see the boss smiling for no reason as said person had not been slipping into his angry and murderous mood for some weeks and counting.

It had been some time since the boss came back from Earth and while he anticipated the younger man throwing a tantrum because some things did not go his way at the most recent festival he attended, on _that night_ , he had been rather calm, if a bit dazed and distracted. At that time, Abuto paid no mind to it, as he had been eager to go to his room and sleep, for he had been up for nearly twenty-four hours doing patrol duty.

But now…

Well, he was very, _very_ scared.

 _Did something happen at the festival_ , he wondered.

Before, when the boss came home from his first ever festival experience, he threw a tantrum that destroyed nearly all of their equipment onboard. While they had no problem with replacing the broken machines (funds were not a problem), it had been a pain to do the replacing, most especially since Abuto had to do _everything_ , from contacting suppliers and to ordering all the parts that needed replacing, while his boss happily destroyed the things around him and carried on without a care in the world.

Which was why when he insisted on attending the second festival, in retaliation for what the younger man did, he set aside a budget of thirty thousand yen for the boss to spend, citing that they were nearly in the red for the month. The older man did not say outright that it was because of that stunt the younger man did, but this petty act of revenge was enough to somehow forgive the boss for the things he did.

Now, however…

It was killing him to know whether the boss was happy because he was planning something heinous or he was happy for the sake of being happy.

One could not really determine this when it came to the fickleness that Kamui possessed.

"… Boss, are you feeling okay?" he said out loud when the younger male walked into the ship's common room.

He had to ask right now, or forever shut up about it.

"What do you mean, Abuto?" came the confused question.

The shaggy-haired Amanto could feel the eyes of all the Yato in the room aimed at him, imploring him to ask the question that was on everyone's mind that they dare not voice out.

Hell, even _they_ knew something was up with the boss.

 _Damn cowards_ , he glared silently at the others.

Out loud, he asked, "… Well, it's just that—" before he could complete the question, an Express Amanto suddenly came in, handed an envelope to the captain in a run before running off again in haste. As soon as the delivery carrier left, the boss was also making his way out of the common area, but not before getting a book from the bookshelf. "Uh—"

"This letter won't write itself. Later." As soon as the captain was out of the door, everyone looked at one another, not knowing what to be surprised at: that someone was writing a letter to the boss (he never kept correspondence with his sister and vice-versa) or that he was _going to reply_ to the letter that was sent to him (he usually tore it right then and there, threw the paper on the floor, then stomped on it, leaving it for Abuto to clean up afterwards).

"… Did the boss just say that he's gonna reply to the letter?" one of them asked out loud.

Before he knew it, Abuto found himself running to the direction of the captain's quarters, which took a little over a minute.

 _What the fuck is happening?!_

Why was the boss acting so strange?!

Who was he writing to?!

He shouldn't have been surprised, but he still got the shock of his life when he found the boss all hunched over at his desk looking very serious, the pen he was holding positioned near his lip as he frowned down at the paper on his desk.

Since when did the boss even _write_?

"… Boss?"

Immediately, the reaction of the younger man was to hide the letter… and he did a rather poor job of it, as he placed one of the books that he borrowed earlier from the ship's common room over the sheet. To Abuto's surprise, it was a book about Edo's writing system. He knew that the boss wasn't lacking in the writing and education department, but for him to consult a book about how to write the proper characters…

 _Suspicious_.

"… What are you doing here?" the reply was too calm, even for someone like the boss who could _usually_ hid his emotions well most of the time.

Wordlessly, he went to the table, lifted the book, and then grabbed the sheet of paper. Before the boss could protest, he quickly scanned the contents. While it was not surprising to see the boss' familiar handwriting that Abuto could probably compare to chicken scratch, it was legible enough to be read. It also had a few erasures in it, but all in all, the boss managed to make it look decent.

 _… I'm busy these days, but I can probably make time for the festival that you insist on inviting me to. My schedule should be free by then._

 _Don't get the wrong idea, princess. I'm only going because you mentioned it the last time before I left, and if it means I get to eat more delicious food, I'm in._

 _Also, I hugged you because I thought it was a greeting of sorts. How should I know it's only for close friends? Earthling customs are so complicated and weird…_

Another festival?

As far as he knew, they were not set to do any raids this month, or even the next.

But what shocked him the most was the fact that he was addressing it to someone who seemed to be from the nobility. As far as he knew, no one was named 'princess' in Edo…

… Unless…

Vaguely, he remembered a certain noble woman they encountered years back. If that was the person he was writing to…

… well, _fuck_.

What had the boss gotten himself into?!

"Boss… are you attending another festival on Earth?" he asked casually before the younger man snatched back the letter.

Not surprisingly, the boss looked torn between wanting to rip his throat out and looking like he was not affected at the snooping his subordinate did. "That's none of your business, Abuto." The reply had been too quick, and he knew that he had caught the boss red-handed… or, if he had to be more specific, he had caught the boss secretly making plans to go to Earth for whatever reason.

Obviously, the aim was not really to attend the festival… but to visit a 'princess'.

Abuto made a face at the thought of his slightly insane captain _wooing_ a _female_ … and a noble woman at that, though it piqued his curiosity. Was the lady in question reciprocating, or humoring him?

He'd rather deal with an erratic boss than a moping boss whose _heart was broken_.

"Are you attending or not? It's a 'yes' or 'no' question." He pointed out.

An irritated smile made its way to the captain's face. "… And if I say 'yes'?"

Abuto flashed a smirk. "Then good for you; that's all I needed to know." He placed a hand on the captain's shoulder, as if to wish him good luck. "Though…"

"What now?"

"… You don't need to act like a _tsundere_ when replying to your princess." the veteran Yato laughed because he knew that it was better to laugh out loud than to sport an aghast expression.

Besides, he had more time to flip out and analyze this later, in the privacy of his own room. Or at the common room, where everyone was most probably waiting for him to come back to listen to the latest gossip that he would provide.

No doubt, his fellow warriors would call bullshit on this.

Their captain was _not_ the type to be smitten by a 'weak Earthling' and a _weak female Earthling_ at that.

"Don't tell me what to do. You're just as bad as her." the vermillion-haired man snapped angrily.

 _He got it bad_ , Abuto shuddered inwardly. _Didn't even dispute the 'you princess' part_.

"Got it." On his way out, he turned around. "Oh, and by the way, boss?"

"… What now?" based on the tone of voice of the captain, Abuto knew Kamui was close to snapping, so he decided to make it quick.

"… I don't think the crew will mind if you have to go back and forth between here and on Earth to visit your princess. Just inform me in advance so that we'll be prepared for it." Without waiting for the younger man's response, he exited the room hastily, fearful of the retaliation, and at the same time, eager to share the news about the strange behavior of their captain.

He just hoped he didn't have to explain or try to convince them too much that their bloody-thirsty captain was finally feeling the effects of very late puberty and that he was 'going through a teenager phase', despite being twenty-four years old.

Kamui, on the other hand, was too surprised than enraged over the remark… though not long after, he felt irritated at the fact that Abuto had read the contents of his letter and drew his own conclusions.

What made him think _he_ was seeing that brat anyway?

He went to Earth for the festivals, not her. _She_ was the one who extended the invitation to him, and _he_ , in turn, was being a nice guy by accepting it because he had nothing better to do and he wanted to enjoy himself by stuffing himself full of Edo cuisine.

A brat will always be a brat, and he would never forget that.

… Even if he had accidentally pick-up said brat just to prove to himself that he could pick-up women.

Although, if he had to admit, he was secretly thankful for her company. The festival would have been boring if he went by himself, as his sister had forbidden him from even stepping foot on the festival grounds the last time they talked that consisted of her screaming at him while he pissed her off further by smiling nonchalantly the whole time she was lecturing him. He wasn't even sure if the brat knew about the situation that happened (probably not), but at least she had been accommodating… even though she had planned to leave him halfway through the event.

And then, the fire lookout tower incident.

Until now, he still did not know what possessed him to bring her up above the tower by abandoning his original plan of dumping her in the river, having a good laugh over her drenched state, then leaving her to fend off for herself while he would be at the tower, out of her reach, until the fireworks ended. Hebrought _her_ along with him, even begged her to stay with him until the very end while Kagura was looking for her, and did not even hesitate to carry her in his arms when it was over and done with when he could have simply slung her over his shoulders and jumped down from the tower.

This was not him.

What the hell was happening to him?

This was not good.

It annoyed him that he could not find the answer that he was looking for, as the more he tried to analyze and think about it, the more his mind got all muddled.

All he could do was blame the heat for making him do the strangest things that he never thought he would do.

If there was one thing he had an excuse for, it was when the time he had hugged her.

How the hell was _he_ to know that in Edo, it was only close friends or lovers who hugged one another? Earthling customs were indeed complicated, but seeing her hug his sister right after she had been gone for most of the night… well, it was hard for him not to see it as a kind of greeting that one did after a period of absence. And with him leaving, along with the possibility of not seeing her for a long time… he didn't really have an idea that the hand she offered was sufficient enough to convey one's sentiments.

Kagura had threatened to cut off his balls if he did that stunt again while she was chasing after him.

 _"Don't get in my way. I do what I want, and if she's not complaining, then you don't have any right to tell me what I should or shouldn't do."_

The brat did try to pull back, but he had been too engrossed in his hug that he barely felt her tap his back. Instead, he loosen the grip on her, then pulled away several seconds after before flashing her a grin, then fleeing, as he felt a deadly aura in the form of his younger sibling around the vicinity. As the older brother, he knew it was his responsibility to be the stronger sibling, which was why he broke no sweat when he made a run for it, despite the warm weather.

Weaklings who tried to act tough were laughable.

 _"Don't call my best friend a weakling; she's strong… maybe even stronger than you."_

Great, now even the brat's words were haunting him.

As if she wasn't enough to haunt him, even in his dreams—

What the hell was happening to him?

This madness had to stop.

… But maybe after this one letter—

That wouldn't do; he knew it wouldn't do, especially when he began secretly writing his responses to her four times a day (if there was even daytime in space), and in the midst of writing the second letter for the day, Abuto had caught him. He hadn't bothered addressing it to the brat, in contrast to her addressing him as 'Kamui-san', but Abuto knew who it was he was writing to. For his part, he sarcastically referred to her by her title, but never her name; it was laughable that for someone like her, she was named after the sound of a gentle breeze [7].

Soyo…

He snorted softly; that brat was getting into his head more often than he liked, and if he couldn't end the letter writing, it would have to end on the next festival he would be attending.

He didn't need her help after the next festival, as Kamui was sure that he would get used to it on the third time. Edo customs were complicated, but he was confident that it was something that he would handle, given time and practice. Besides, when their interactions stopped, so would the letter writing. Not only that, but he would have more time on his hands once the back-and-forth writing and sending would cease.

The brat can just go on and enjoy future festivals with the others while he was better off alone and enjoying by himself.

He can do that.

He was used to that.

He didn't need anyone else.

Silently, he picked up the pen that he was using earlier and continued to write his response to her.

It would all end soon… and along with it, his sanity would go back to normal. His everyday life would go back to normal, and the routine he was used to before this whole letter writing thing started would all go back to the way it was before the festival happened.

Right?

* * *

Notes:

[1] - summer was the time for romance, which is why it was common for men to pick up women - called _nampa_ （ナンパ） in Japanese, it's when guys try to ask girls out on a date. They say that a popular _nampa_ spot in Osaka is by the Ebisubashi, while Shibuya is a _nampa_ spot in Tokyo.

[Also, from what I heard, some do _nampa_ in the hopes of sleeping with the girl. Obviously, Okita did not tell Kamui about that aspect. '`,､('∀`) '`,､]

[2] - He handed her a bottle of what she suspected to be a certain beverage that was popular during summer. - In reference to Calpis Water (Calpico outside Japan). Based on experience, it's refreshing to drink during summer. Also, their commercials can get so damn cheesy and even shoujo.

[3] - With proper training, she could probably gut someone open with those speared weapons he heard about. - Women from _samurai_ families were taught how to use the _naginata_ , a speared-weapon, to protect their homes while their husbands/fathers are away. This is why Shimura Tae wields a _naginata_ ; she's no warrior, but she can get by protecting her home and herself.

[4] - ... he'd rather drink in peace than let some girl pour drinks for him for a premium price. - concept of hostess clubs and cabaret clubs. Those are expensive (price starts between JPY5k~JPY10k, and it's good for up until 60 minutes. If you want to extend, you'll have to pay more.).

[5] - "I saw the way you 'cleaned up' the bodies years ago when you jumped down from the ship you were on." - Gintama Chapter 505. Kamui used the term 'souji' （掃除）in the Japanese version, which has the connotation of 'cleaning up stuff because everything around me's a mess'.

[6] - ... or in Okita's case, a stuffed toy of a character from a certain online game. - In reference to this plush toy of Kashuu Kiyomitsu from Touken Ranbu. He also happens to be the first sword of Okita Souji before he got replaced by Yamato no Kami Yasusada, as Kiyomitsu got destroyed after the Ikedaya Affair, and couldn't be repaired anymore.

[7] - ... it was laughable that for someone like her, she was named after the sound of a gentle breeze. - Not kidding, but the term 'soyosoyo' （そよそよ）is the sound effect of a gentle breeze in Japanese. I assume that she got her name from that.

* * *

Flower Language (meanings listed are the Japanese meanings of the flower):

Peony - bashfulness, compassion  
Pansy - think of me

* * *

Let me tell you the story of how I came up with this fic.

So one day, I got lucky and won the right to eat and dine in at the Cafe & Bar Characro feat. Gintama store.

As a Gintama fan, I am aware that Kamui is a fan favorite, especially since he never lacks in the merchandise department. Both Japan and non-Japan somehow likes this guy so much, and I don't blame them for it.

Imagine my shock when I found out that he was dead last in the polls when I visited.

The question of the poll goes: "If you're going to a summer festival to have fun, who do you think you'll have fun with?"

For someone who's supposedly popular, he had the lowest score. I actually felt pity towards him that after getting my 5 tokens from ordering Gintama-themed drinks and meals (you use those to vote), I gave him one vote. 4 of my votes were evenly split between Okita Sougo and Sakamoto Tatsuma.

So I thought, "No doubt, his fangirls will bring up his rank when they get their chance."

10 days later, they announced the results... and he was second to the last place

I am guessing that the fangirls couldn't overlook his rather violent nature or something, but to be honest, I'm very surprised that he placed 9 out of 10... and if there was someone who had the money, s/he could've easily brought Kamui to the last place if s/he ordered 7 more dishes and gave all their votes to Madao.

[The same thing is happening in the current poll (Kamui is 2nd to the last place again), but that's another story.]

Point is, for someone who is supposedly so popular and cute, he got off to a dismal start and ended with a very, very bad ranking. And now, on the second poll, the same thing is happening.

With that, I thought it would be fun to write a fic about him going to his second festival _alone_ after he managed to piss off everyone during the first one by being a jerk and then goes off to unwillingly drag someone who can't stand him _just because he can_ (and he's kinda lonely too) on the second festival he attends.

I know that Soyo is supposed to be all sweet and cute, but years of anger, resentment, and sadness can change people, most especially since on her part, it's hard to forgive someone who tried to kill you in the past. Not to mention, said person had a role in killing her older brother. I placed special emphasis on her sadism because I think a lot of people forget that she's a natural sadist (looks can be deceiving, after all), and that she can get really, _really_ sadistic if she chooses (like in that watermelon episode). Also, for a sheltered princess, she's rather strong-willed; never fainted throughout the whole Shogun Assassination Arc until Okita had to knock her out.

[Also, if a certain character can forgive a certain character for murdering certain character # 1′s wife and child, what more this, when it was only an attempted murder, right, right?]

The fic is the result of mostly about the poll results, and my shameless love for KamuSoyo... with OkiKagu as the unwitting ship captains for said pairing. In turn, it's Soyo who is the head ship captain for OkiKagu.

I hope it was enjoyable; I've been writing slowly because of real-life stuff, but I'm glad that the fic turned out to be acceptable... somehow.

Thank you again to the people who helped me piece together this fic. You two know who you are. :)

Lastly, thank you very much for reading until the very end! ^^

[Final note: I posted the same thing on my Tumblr page, and it even has photographic evidence of the poll results, so if you want to see it, just go to my blog!]


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